Learning ArcGIS Python Scripting

Course details

Have you ever needed to find all the broken links in a set of map documents? Or convert units before loading map data? Python is the gateway for automating common GIS tasks. Are you ready to get up to speed? In this course, designed for experienced ArcGIS users, join instructor Jennifer Harrison—the founder of TeachMeGIS—as she shows you how to produce faster, deeper insights into your GIS data by adding Python scripting to ArcGIS.

Start with an overview of the basics, including strings, variables, and conditional statements. Jennifer helps you get comfortable writing scripts in IDLE, the integrated development environment for Python. Explore the skills required for writing output to the screen, passing command-line arguments into scripts, using list functions to get to the ArcGIS objects, and reading from and writing to a log file. By the end of this course, you’ll also be prepared to attach your script to a tool in ArcGIS Pro and create help documentation for a script tool.

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Getting started with Python in ArcGIS
02 - What you should know before watching this course
03 - ArcGIS project files throughout this course

1. Introduction to Scripting and the Python Language

04 - Scripting overview
05 - Where Python is used in ArcGIS
06 - Where to write your scripts - ArcGIS Notebooks
07 - Write your first Python script
08 - Python syntax rules
09 - Comments and pseudocode

2. Strings, Numbers, and Variables

10 - Use variables to make scripts flexible
11 - Work with numeric values
12 - Work with strings
13 - Working with strings in ArcGIS
14 - String manipulation
15 - String methods and functions

3. Getting to ArcGIS with Python

16 - Object-oriented programming (OOP) overview
17 - Incorporating Python libraries in a script
18 - The ArcPy library
19 - Writing a script that uses ArcPy
20 - ArcPy objects, properties, and methods
21 - Geoprocessing with Python and ArcPy
22 - Model builder for jump-starting your script
23 - The ArcGIS API for Python library - Getting to web GIS

4. Using List Functions to Get to the ArcGIS Objects

24 - Working with lists
25 - List methods and functions
26 - Use loops to work with lists
27 - Write a script using list methods and a for-loop
28 - Nested loops
29 - Conditional statements
30 - Write a script using ArcGIS API
31 - Getting to the properties of GIS data with Describe
32 - Challenge - Properties of layers
33 - Solution - Properties of layers

5. Reading from and Writing to a File

34 - Read from and write to a text file
35 - Write a script that reads from and writes to a file
36 - Write a script that records broken links
37 - Challenge - Describe feature classes and write to a file
38 - Solution - Describe feature classes and write to a file

6. Attaching Your Script to a Tool in ArcGIS Pro

39 - Making scripts dynamic
40 - Creating a custom toolbox

7. Creating Help Documentation for a Script

41 - Creating help documentation for a script tool

Conclusion

42 - Next steps and additional resources